Top 10 Facts and Care Guide of Betta Fish
Do you know betta fish are the most kept aquarium fish next to goldfish and it is among the most beautiful aquarium fish as well? Due to the colorful fins of betta fish, it has become a popular choice among the fish-keeping hobbyist. The colorful fins of betta fish are the result of cross-breeding.
 |
| Jaya Surya Karthik on Unsplash |
Also, betta fish can live outside water much longer than other fish plus betta fish is a very intelligent fish and can be taught to remember the owner and do playful tricks as well. Betta fish are easy to handle as compare to other fish breeds. There are many myths and misbeliefs among fish-keeping hobbyists about the betta fish. Here are the top 10 facts and care guide of betta fish.
Number 1. Origin The Betta Fish or Siamese Fighting fish is native to paddy fields and Mekong River in South Asia, it is also called pla-kad in Thailand Trey Krem in Khmer. The Betta fish become popular in other Asian countries very quickly. Betta fish varieties found in paddy fields and rivers are wild bettas and are less colored than crossbreed bettas. Betta is a large genus of 73 species, Betta Splendens is the species we call Betta siamese fighting fish. Now betta fish are popular among hobbyists worldwide.
Number 2. Nature Betta fish is extremely territorial fish and they become aggressive for this matter. Never put two male betta fish together as they fight to the death. Female bettas are however less aggressive and can be kept together in community aquariums. The name betta was referred to an ancient clan of warriors called the “Bettah”. Now, why are some betta fish so aggressive? Earlier In countries like Thailand betta fish were used in fighting tournaments and the winning betta owners were rewarded and winning bettas were cross-breed.
So if you crossbreed an aggressive betta you can get a more aggressive betta. Due to this cross-breeding bettas are very aggressive especially the male bettas. The different color patterns you see in betta are a result of cross-breeding. Some bettas have diamond-shaped eyes with scales that grow over their eye. Betta also has a special organ called Labyrinth organ that helps them to breathe air such organs are also found in certain fish like gourami. This is why it’s said that betta can survive outside water for a longer duration.
Number 3. Living Environment Betta fish should be kept in an aquarium of capacity5 gallons or more. Betta fish can indeed be kept in bowls but it requires frequent water change every three days.5 gallon or more is sufficient for keeping betta fish. The temperature of the tank should be around 24 to 30 Celsius that is 75 - 86 F. Betta fish are best kept in sand gravel or rock gravel than Amazonia soil which is used to plant an aquarium. Betta fish likes water lettuce, marimo moss balls and also loves dried tropical almond leaves.
They also like hiding places to hide sometimes. Dried tropical almond leaves also help to lower the pH if your water source to the betta aquarium is very hard. After softening the water the almond leaves can be removed to prevent decay. Always keep the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrate level low in the betta fish aquarium to prevent diseases like Popeye or fin rot which is most common in betta fish. Do regular cleaning of dirt and do water changes to maintain the health of betta fish in good condition. Betta fish can live for 2 to 3 years and there are reports of betta fish living up to 9 years when kept in optimal water conditions.
Top 10 Most Calm Freshwater & Marine Aquarium Fish
Number 4. Tankmates Like said earlier male betta fish should be kept alone while females can be kept with other female bettas in the community tank. Male betta fish can be kept with other non-aggressive fish but it’s heard that they may sometimes attack long-finned small fish like fancy guppies mistaking them as male bettas. Don’t keep betta fish with bigger fish like bigger Arowana, Oscar fish, turtles, etc. small-mouthed fish like angelfish, discus fish, tetra fish are fine. Use commonsense small-mouthed fish cannot swallow them so choose such fish as tank mates betta fish.
Number 5. Types of Betta Fish Betta is a large genus of 73 species and Betta splendors is the species we call Betta fish. Wild betta fish are pale-colored and non-aggressive while crossing breed betta which is the breed from betta who had won the fighting tournament as I said earlier are more aggressive, colorful and they get aggressive even seeing themselves in the mirror this aggression makes them stressed out very easily so don’t keep a mirror in front of them or keep the betta aquarium in places where it creates a reflection of their image because it can stress them out.
A new breed of betta called koi bettas are also available and certain expensive breeds of bettas showing marbling which is a genetic mutation that causes a specimen to undergo dramatic color changes as it ages. There are also giant bettas which are the result of cross-breeding and they size as much as 10 cm long and hence are much bigger than normal colorful bettas we see today.
Number 6. Taming a Betta Fish are intelligent fish they remember their owner who feeds them regularly. A betta fish who has established a friendly relationship with the owner can be tamed to do certain tricks like jumping out of the water to catch food, flare at the long pipes pointed towards them, go through a hoop inside water, and follow the hands pointed on the aquarium and many more tricks. It’s also said that they can be conditioned to sound commands to do certain tricks but it is quite difficult to teach them. Keep betta in the aquarium of 5 gallons or more to get a friendly nature towards you, also take care of the water condition and do regular feeding.
Number 7. Identifying Gender It is easy to identify the gender of betta fish. Females have shorter fins, vertical stripes on the body, and visible egg spots just below the ventral fins. Male betta fish have longer dorsal, caudal, pectoral, and anal fins. It is said that females prefer red males and red color is due to the high level of carotenoids in them.
Number 8. Feeding Betta Fish Betta fish are carnivores that means they eat insects, worms, and shrimps. Do you know Betta taste buds are located on their fins, lips, and in their mouth? Betta fish can live without eating for about two weeks or more. Frozen brine shrimps in ice cubes are the real delicacy for the betta fish. They also like mosquito larvae and even noneating bettas eat them. Some more betta fish food available in the market are freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex worms, brine shrimps, and micro pellets. Feeding certain live foods like bloodworms also enhances their color.
Number 9. Breeding Betta Fish Male betta fish build the bubble nest on the water surface indicating that it is healthy and happy. At this time introduce a mature female betta fish but it should be separate from direct contact with male betta fish. If you introduce directly chances are there that male betta fish fight and kill the female.
Introduce hiding places or keep the female betta in bottom cut bottles, breeding plastic box submerged in water, or use an aquarium divider. When a bubble nest builds by male betta fish is on a larger area and when the aggression between the pair is mild you can release the female betta. The betta pair will spawn in one or two days and the eggs hatch one day after release.
Number 10. Caring Betta Fries Male betta fish takes charge of protecting the hatched eggs and fries while female betta tends to eat them. So in practice, female bettas are removed once the eggs are laid. When fries become free-swimming male betta also tries to eat them so it is necessary to remove the male betta fish as well at this time.
When fries become free-swimming it is the most difficult stage. And to keep the fries alive you have to feed them foods like infusoria, baby brine shrimps daphnia and do 20 to 30 % water change daily for about 4 to 5 weeks. After one month or more the fries show off their colors and then you can feed micro pellets, dried tubifex worms, or bloodworms that fit in their mouth and goes to their stomach.
Here We provided the top 10 facts and care guide of betta fish. Hopefully, this information will be helpful for you.
7 Most Common Types Of Fish In The World
0 Comments
please do not enter any spam link in the comment.